I am new to all of this and have watched some cooking shows where they deliver all their cakes on what looks like wood cake boards. I only know where to buy the cardboard ones. What more sturdy but affordable options do people use? Thanks for any advice.

I am interested in that as well...do I gotta beg my hubby to make em and if so what do you recommend them being made out of?

I mostly use the cardboard cake boards, unless the cake is really large and needs more support. My dad cut out circles and squares for me out of sheets of wood (plywood and composite), and I cover them according to request. I do write my name on the underside of the board and pray that they return it! (see, it's recycling! )

It sounds like masonite. I just purchased a board at my local cake decorating supply store.

Foam core from a store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels works good for cake boards, too.

I too use heavy MDF or plywood.Foamcore is good but here it is really expensive for a sheet.

I use masonite between tiered cakes and for the bottom of small cakes or 1/2 inch plywood for heavy cakes or cakes that I don't want to move or crack at all......I make them myself....my father was a contractor and I know my way around the workshop. My husband got me a compound mitre saw for my 33rd birthday....by request of course!!
Lisa

Go to your local hardware store and you'll find there masonite and plywood.
They can cut it for you there also (first 2 cuts are free, then $0.25 per cut.

I like homedepot, It is really inexpensive. I normally get 4 - 12" bases for $1 (masonite bases)
For the wedding cake I made this weekend I got a plywood base, it was like 1/2 in thick, payed $5 for the hole board and got 3- 18x18 from it.